Daily Archives: June 15, 2010

Hello bloggie friends! How is everyone’s week going? Chugging along nicely I hope :) I should be back in Calgary tonight, meeting up with fellow bloggie Allison for a big ole’ Albertan hamburger. Who knows, by now I could be wearing cowboy boots and mastered the two-step.

No, that is still unlikely. The two-step part, not the boots part.

Anyways! On to the next instalment of the Blogger Interview Series! Today I bring you Lara from Thinspired. Lara was another one of my first blog friends. She and I share very similar weight loss and weight maintenance stories (although, she’s a smidge taller than me ;) ).

When I first started reading Thinspired, Lara was living overseas in England with her husband. She is now back in her home-state of California, and the brains behind another great blog called The Dining Detective. If you ask her, she may tell you her favourite meal is a big salad, but I really know it’s fried rice with spam ;) You can’t deny it Lara!!

1. Quick! Describe your blog in 6 words!

A lot of food, some fitness :)

2. How did you come up with your blog name?

My blog actually started out as simply “Lara’s Food Blog.” I had no intention at the time of actually asking people to read it! Once a small audience formed, it became clear that I needed to re-name it. I have always been a sucker for terms with words like “skinny” and “thin” in them…I just think they’re a fun way of talking about healthy weight loss. I was aware of the connotations that words like “thinspiration” had in the eating disorder community, and I wanted to change that. I wanted to talk about being inspired to lose weight in a HEALTHY way. I wanted to express that I was inspired, not that I thought I was necessarily inspiring. Hence, Thinspired was born. Now, if you Google “Thinspired,” no scary pro-anorexia sites come up on the first hit, it’s just me talking about finding a healthy balance!

3. What attracted you to blogging?

The first and only food blog I read for a long time was “Eat Like Me” on Self Magazine’s website. I loved seeing what a healthy, educated dietitian ate. It is not an overstatement to say that that blog changed my life and the way I look at food. I tried to mimic her style with my own food journal (“Lara’s Food Blog”), which I started while I was living abroad as a way to keep myself accountable, and to keep in touch with friends and family back at home in the US.

4. What surprised you about blogging?

I’m surprised at how kind and supportive this little community is. It’s a scary thing to be putting so much of your life, your fears, and your experiences out there for strangers to read. There is an extremely loyal group of readers and bloggers who have become sort of an extended family to me. I trust them completely, which is very surprising!

5. What do you do for content ideas?

A lot of times, content just naturally flows because food is obviously a part of my everyday life. New recipes or a dish that I think is pretty will always generate a good post. Other times I struggle to come up with something I think my readers will be interested in, and that is when the brainstorming starts. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, or be in the shower and have to dash out to find a piece of paper to write on. Ideas can hit me at any time!

6. Blogging is a big time commitment – what makes it worth it to you?

The positivity of my fellow bloggers and readers. When you get such supportive, kind feedback and encouragement, it makes blogging a pleasure instead of a chore.

7. What hobbies did you have before you started blogging?

Food has always been a “hobby,” but not always a healthy one! Blogging has actually opened up a bunch of new hobbies that I never had an interest in before: cooking, running and exercise, and nutrition to name a few. Before that, I was so wrapped up in school that the only hobbies I really had were sorority meetings, term papers, and fashion magazines!

8. What is one secret you’ve thus far conveniently kept off your blog?

…I eat a lot more In-N-Out Burgers than my blog might lead you to believe ;)

9. What do your friends and family think of your blogging habits?

Some are more supportive than others. My mom loves it and reads it every day. My dad is always encouraging me to monetize it ;) My husband is completely supportive and helps me with all of the technical stuff. I haven’t even told some family members about it because I know will be less supportive, and I don’t want to put myself through that.

10. What other blogger inspires you?

Too many to name! Different bloggers inspired me in different areas. EatLikeMe inspired me to blog. Kath inspired me to be creative. You and Deb inspire me to lift those weights! Mama Pea inspires me to write better and eat my veggies. Lindsay inspires me to put more effort into photography. I am inspired in some way almost every time I read a blog!

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Question of the Day: What was the first food blog you read? Mine was Caitlin’s old blog See Bride Run!

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Welcome!

My name is Susan, I'm a 20-something living in Atlantic Canada and this is my blog about... me. I used to blog about food and fitness, but that all changed in June 2011 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After six months of chemotherapy, I was declared cancer-free in January 2012. I now write about anything and everything as I stumble through my post-cancer world. I'm a trained journalist currently working as a writer/researcher. I also have a background in personal fitness training and nutrition. Welcome to my piece of the internet!
See my About page or Top Posts page for more.

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E-mail me at: thegreatbalancingact@gmail.com

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